Fill the garden with frost-resistant plants.

Having a garden filled with tropical plants may sound impossible, and to some extent it is. Tropical plants can, with very few exceptions, be grown outdoors in Sweden. However, there are many both green and edible plants with exotic fruits that look tropical even though they are actually from cold climates.

It is even possible to grow banana plants for their beautiful leaves and tropical-tasting pawpaw fruit in Sweden. However, the plants may need to be covered, at least around the trunk during the coldest weeks of winter.

Frost-resistant papaya.

Our tropical plants that can withstand frost include the mountain papaya 'Babaco papaya'. An unusual variety of papaya that is a close relative of the variety whose fruit we can buy in grocery stores. This species is from the chilly Andes mountain range where frost is common below the tree line.

Babaco papaya has an incredibly rare combination of tropical appearance and fruits that look incredibly beautiful while the plant is frost tolerant. If grown as a potted plant, this papaya can be brought indoors in the fall.

Fig tree outdoors.

There are actually some varieties of figs that can be grown outdoors all year round. This applies mainly to the southernmost parts of the country. The winter-hardy and very hardy fig tree 'Bornholmsfikon' is grown there. This frost-hardy variety produces a lot of fruit and is self-pollinating. There are also other varieties such as 'brown turkey'. As a potted plant, this variety can be grown outdoors and moved indoors during the absolute coldest months of winter.